Before she became a mom, Namrata Wong saw no problem with eating sushi at her desk for dinner. Clocking out of her job as a banker at Goldman Sachs around midnight didn't qualify as staying late--it was normal. But she began to question the routine after having her second child earlier this year. "Some nights I'd be at the office as late as 3 a.m., so I saw my kids only an hour per day," she says. "It hit me: This is ridiculous! My colleagues won't be at my funeral, but my children will. I need to make a change in line with my values." Namrata wanted to keep her search on the down-low--she couldn't afford to lose her job--so she started to feel out working mothers in her inner circle of friends. "Moms tend to be eager to offer advice on how to find a job with a great work-life balance," she says. After a few weeks of making calls, Namrata connected with her college roommate, Zeena, who was loving a new job in recruiting that allowed her to set her own schedule. They kept talking, and Zeena convinced Namrata that recruiting would be a great fit for her: She already understood the lingo of the finance industry, and because the work was commission-based, she could do it from home. Soon after, Namrata took a meeting with a partner at Zeena's firm. "I just started in September," Namrata reports with the cheerfulness of a woman in the honeymoon stage of a great new job. "If I want to drop my kid at school or take off a Friday and go to the zoo, I can do that." And it all started with a "how-ya-doing" call to an old friend.

We hook our girlfriends up with doctors, hairstylists, and babysitters, we set each other up on blind dates--why not act as headhunters for one another? "It's something guys have been doing for years, because they know there's a quid pro quo inherent in every relationship. They're constantly trading favors," says Lois Frankel, Ph.D., author of Nice Girls Just Don't Get It. "Women, on the other hand, build even stronger networks than men, but we don't call on them because we're afraid of seeming pushy or needy." Jobs are scarce these days--it's no time to be timid. With the U.S. unemployment rate hovering just above 8 percent as of press time, the market is more competitive than ever. For every position, companies are flooded with hundreds of online applications. "You're just a number in the crowd whose résumé may be excluded by keyword-filtering technology," says Frankel. "Referrals by actual human beings are more effective, because you skip that step and connect directly with decision-makers."

Think about it: Your nearest and dearest know you (and what you're looking for) better than any human resources rep ever will. And if you're happily employed, it's good karma, and good business, to be generous with your connections. Says Frankel: "You should always be building relationships and offering to connect friends with your own network, regardless of your job situation, so you have chips to cash in when you need them."

Nicole LaBeaud knows the power of a referral from one of those "actual humans." For more than three years, she had been scanning the Web daily for new jobs in real estate and pinging HR departments with her résumé, to no avail. "After sending out 20 résumés a day and regularly being told I was overqualified, I was feeling devastated," Nicole says. At what she considered her "rock bottom," the 41-year-old Los Angeles resident finally sent a mass email to friends and acquaintances, pleading for job leads. "It went out to 300-plus people, explaining that I had experience in real estate, procurement, and sales, and that I was willing to take a very basic position for minimum pay." Appealing to her personal network turned out to be the perfect play: A week later, her neighbor mentioned that a cousin was hiring. "She passed my résumé along, and within three weeks I had a job as a senior contract specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration, which utilizes many of the skills I'd picked up over the years in real estate," Nicole says. "I wish I hadn't waited so long to send out that desperate plea, but I didn't want to sound like a victim." Soon after she was hired, Nicole took that neighbor and her cousin, Nicole's new colleague, out for dinner to celebrate. "Having a girls' night was a fun way to thank her," she says. "You have to remember the people who help you get your foot in the door."

Girlfriend networking gets results because friends can vouch for your personality in a unique way. Sandi Hwang Adam, 41, wasn't looking for a new job, but a good friend (and former colleague) tipped off a hiring manager that Sandi was the perfect candidate for a marketing position at a start-up. "She knew not only that I had all the skills they needed, but also that my not-easily-rattled temperament would fit the company's fast-paced culture, which is just as important as any job skill set these days," says Sandi. "Also, because we knew each other socially, there was a built-in trust that we would do our best to make the other person look good." So true: Friends will stick their necks out for you in ways that strangers won't. When Meredith Strauss, 42, wanted to transition from producing commercials and music videos to social work but needed a foot in the door, she casually confided in her monthly mah-jongg group because she knew that some of the ladies had connections in the social-services field. Now the Livingston, NJ, mom is running group therapy sessions at one of their contacts' organizations, and she's getting the professional hours she needs to become a licensed social worker. "It's helped me sidestep the catch-22 that you can't get experience without having experience," she says.

Social media makes it possible to spread the word to potential fairy job mothers on a huge scale, not just on career-focused sites like LinkedIn but also on Facebook and Twitter. In fact, 73 percent of HR and recruiting pros have successfully hired a candidate who was identified or introduced through a social network or social media, according to a new survey by Jobvite. Sally Almeida, 34, posted a hilarious photo album from grade school on Facebook that caught the eye of her childhood babysitter. Soon, the two were messaging updates about their strikingly similar lives. "We both worked in recruiting, and she mentioned that she had a great opportunity for me in human resources with her company," says Sally, who lives in Colonia, NJ. Having a shared past with her boss made all the difference to Sally: Not only did it grease the wheels for her hire, but their chemistry made the transition smooth. "This position has turned out to be everything I'd been wishing for," Sally says.

Mixing business with friendship leads to good things, as long as everyone involved follows common-sense advice. Nicole Williams, LinkedIn connection director and author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules Into Career Success, urges job seekers to do plenty of legwork on their own before asking for help from friends. "What people don't like is not knowing how to help," she says. "It's vital to research your ideal jobs and companies extensively so that when you ask for a favor, you can say why a specific match is the best one." And be judicious with your asks, too. "You don't want to cash in your chips on something you're lukewarm about, only to have your dream job come along after a friend's goodwill is exhausted," says Frankel.

Potential job yentas should make sure they don't lay too much professional credibility on the line for a job setup (check out "How to Be a Fairy Job Mother," at right). But there is a special place in heaven for women who help other women succeed. Leslie Farnsworth, owner of the marketing strategy consulting company FrogDog in Houston, posts overheard job leads on Facebook and Twitter a few times per week, even if they have nothing to do with her industry. "I know how hard it is to come up as a woman in business and also to find the right people for my company, so if I hear of a job that isn't right for me, I automatically spread word, because it could be the exact shot someone else is looking for," Leslie says. Thanks to the power inherent in female networks, she's helped "dozens and dozens" of friends and acquaintances land gigs over the years--everything from an executive assistant job to a chief operating officer position. "You know your friends best," Williams says. "Doesn't matter if you're setting them up on a date or an interview--it always feels good to help."

Your friendship is deep and your connections are many. Just take this advice when you wave your magic wand.

1. MAKE THE CONNECTION, THEN LET YOUR FRIEND DO THE REST. Career coach Lois Frankel recommends bcc'ing your friend on the intro email and encouraging her to take the reins. "It's better for her to wow the employer with her interest and initiative," she says.

2. BE CLEAR ABOUT HOW WELL YOU KNOW HER. If all you know is that she's an intelligent, motivated person, be open about that. "Passing along a résumé is not the same as a recommendation," says Devora Zack, author of Networking for People Who Hate Networking. "It's fine to say, 'I can't speak specifically to her skills, but I know her socially and thought forwarding her résumé might be helpful to you.'" This quick disclaimer safeguards you if she's wrong for the job.

3. USE YOUR JUICE FOR A KNOCKOUT REC. If someone is genuinely perfect, don't be afraid to shout it. "Make it clear that she's truly exceptional, like 'I rarely give referrals, but this one is a superstar,'" Zack says. Should it prove to be a perfect fit, you've done as big a favor for the recruiter as you have for your friend.

WIN A WORK MAKEOVER--WITH A FRIEND!

Hey, fairy job mothers, we want to reward you for hooking up your friend. Tell us how you helped a friend or how she helped you, and you could both win a trip to New York City, a new work wardrobe, and a makeover. Submit your story to redbookmag.com/getafriendajob. The most inspiring pair will each win a $1,000 gift card courtesy of Ivanka Trump, a new hairdo from the folks at John Frieda, and a makeup tutorial from Avon Products Inc. Two nights' accommodation and $600 in airfare vouchers will be provided by the Warwick New York Hotel.